This invention relates to novel techniques for securely fixing a glove to a glove box used for handling a relatively small amount of radioactive material.
A glove box is widely used for handling a relatively small amount of radioactive material. Such glove box is provided with an opening called handling hole, and a hollow cylinder called a glove port is disposed around said handling hole so as to project out from the box. When handling radioactive material in the box, the proximal end of the usually rubber-made glove is secured around the cylinder, then the finger-shaped portions at the distal end of the glove are forced into the glove body portion manually, and the operator's hand is inserted into the glove.
There has been generally used a glove 1, such as shown in FIG. 1, having a bead portion 2 formed by rounding and thickening the proximal end of the glove for facilitating fitting and fixing of the glove to the glove port. In use of such glove, first the bead portion 2 of the glove 1 is elastically fitted in a groove 4 formed circumferentially in the outer surface of the glove port cylinder 3, and then the thus fixed glove is further fastened from above thereof by a metal clamp 6 through a rubber packing 5, as shown in FIG. 2, thereby to secure the glove to the cylinder 3. If desired, O-rings 9 and 10 are also adapted on the glove and tightened into the respective grooves 7 and 8 in the cylinder surface to ensure secure fixing of the glove to the glove port. For changing the thus fixed glove, first the metal clamp 6 and rubber packing 5 are removed, then the bead portion 2 is separated from the groove 4 by hitching said portion with a driver or like means, and then this portion is directly pinched by the operator's fingers and turned back to thereby detach the glove from the cylinder. Such operation, however, is not only low in working efficiency but also involves the danger of causing radioactive contamination of the operator's fingers since the glove bead portion is usually contaminated with radioactive materials. Further, the rubber packing 5 is required to remove the damage on the fastened portion of the glove by the metal clamp 6, which fastens the glove fitted on the cylinder for securing the end portion of the glove to the cylinder. The possiblity of radioactive contamination is a particularly serious problem.